counterattack

noun

coun·​ter·​at·​tack ˈkau̇n-tər-ə-ˌtak 

variants or counter-attack

plural counterattacks or counter-attacks

: an attack made in response to or in defense against an attack made by another

a series of attacks and counterattacks

Iraqi forces are advancing into the city of Fallujah, repelling a counter-attack by the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) on Tuesday …

—Jack Moore

counterattack

ˌkau̇n-tər-ə-ˈtak 

verb, transitive + intransitive

or counter-attack

counterattacked or counter-attacked; counterattacking or counter-attacking

Syrian rebels including jihadists counter-attacked the army and its allies on Friday aiming to break a weeks-long siege on eastern Aleppo, insurgents said.

—Ellen Francis and Angus McDowall

counterattacker

ˌkau̇n-tər-ə-ˈta-kər 

noun

or counter-attacker

plural counterattackers or counter-attackers

Finally, the big man, bleeding profusely, succeeded in throwing his counterattacker off him.

—Andrew M. Greeley

Synonyms

• counterassault
• counteroffensive
• counterpunch
• counterstrike

Examples of counterattack in a Sentence

suddenly the tide of battle turned, and the rebels, who had been falling back, made a furious counterattack

Recent Examples on the Web

Then, on September 17, the Israeli military began to mount a series of increasingly daring counterattacks against its most formidable neighboring adversary, the Lebanese militia Hezbollah—which opened a second front in the north a day after Hamas attacked in the south. —Aluf Benn, Foreign Affairs, 4 Oct. 2024

In the best case for Ukraine, a fresh cross-border attack might divert Russian troops from their counterattacks farther to the east. —David Axe, Forbes, 13 Sep. 2024

Russia appears to have launched its first major counterattack to drive Ukrainian forces out of Russia's Kursk region more than a month after Ukraine began its surprise offensive, according to Russian and Ukrainian sources as well as independent military analysts. —Patrick Reevell, ABC News, 11 Sep. 2024

And the Ukrainian army has not had enough soldiers to mount large-scale counterattacks. —Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 1 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1800, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

counterattack

noun

coun·​ter·​at·​tack

ˈkau̇nt-ə-rə-ˌtak

: an attack made to counter an enemy's attack

counterattack verb